Back-pack carrier



July 27, 1965 R. D. THOMPSON BACK-*PACK CARRIER X W m J w k7. i my 0 M United States Patent ()ffice 3,197,100 Patented July 27, 1965 3,197,100 BACK-PACK CARQHER Robert D. Thompson, 842 Bluff St, Beloit, Wis. Filed Apr. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 275,662 2 Ciairns. (Cl. 224-6) This invention relates to a new and improved backpack carrier especially designed for use by an adult in hiking with a child to enable comfortably carrying the child occasionally on the back without too much fatigue while making the child com ortable also in the process.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a back-pack carrier of simpler and more economical construction than what has been available heretofore and one which is quickly and easily adjustable to fit both the adult and the child, so that where a couple takes turns carrying the child it is a simple matter to adjust the shoulder straps to fit either one.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying draw ing, in which PEG. 1 is a view of the back-pack carrier with all portions thereof spread out to best illustrate the construction, and

FIG. 2 illustrates the back-pack carrier in use.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these two views.

The generally recatngular flexible body of the carrier is indicated by the reference numeral 3 and may be made of leather or canvas or any other suitable flexible material, the front portion 4 being preferably substantially narrower than the back portion 5 and the mid portion 6 being slightly narrower than the front portion 4 to fit comfortably in the crotch of the child indicated at 7 in FIG. 2 on the back of the mother or other adult indicated at 3, the back portion 5 serving then as a seat, as indicated at 9 in FIG. 2. Eyelets 10 and 11 are pivotally secured in looped portions 12 and 13, respectively, provided on the front corners of body 3, other eyelets 14 and 15 being similarly pivotally mounted in looped portions 16 and 17, respectively, provided on the rear corners of body 3. A transverse tunnel is is provided on the front portion 4- through which a strap 19 extends, one end 29 of which is looped, as indicated at 21, to connect with eyelet 11, the loop 21 having rivets 22 closing the same, the other end of strap 19 having a buckle 23 secured thereon, which may be of any suitable or preferred design but for convenience of operation is of the same design as that shown at 24 in FIG. 1, in order to enable frictionally gripping the one end of a strap 25 that has its other end looped through eyelet 10, as indicated at 26, and closed by rivets 27. Additional rivets 28 are provided on loops 21 and 26 to provide tunnels 2d and 30 through which a strap 31 that has the buckle 24 on one end thereof is extended to be passed under the arms and around the back of the child '7, as shown in FIG. 2, to provide a back rest. Eyelets 32 and 33 are also provided in the tunnels 29 and 36 to cooperate with snap fasteners 34 and 35, respectively, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2 for support of the back portion 5 of body 3 while it is serving to define the seat 9.

In operation, the strap 19 defines the two shoulder loops 35 and 37 through which the adult extends his or her arms when the carrier is in use. The child can be lowered into place in seat 9 and strap 31 is then applied to provide the back rest for the child and avoid any likelihood of the child falling backwards out of the carrier. Obviously, additional links can be provided at 38 or longer or extensible links used if the seat 9 becomes too snug for the child as it grows older. If the adult finds that it is easier to carry the child at a slightly higher elevation, it is a simple matter to shorten the loops E56 and 37 to accomplish this. Also, if the child is quite small and it is considered safer to keep the child closer to the adults'back, it is a simple matter to shorten up strap 31 to accomplish that. An older child usually prefers more freedom and under those conditions strap 31 will be adjusted so as to be looser. The advantages of my construction are:

(1) its compactness when folded and packed for carrying, and its lightness and comfortable feel when strapped to ones shoulders for the purpose of carrying a child;

(2) The independence of adjustment of the shoulder straps 36-37 in respect to the rest of the carrier;

(3) The independence of adjustment of the childs back rest strap 31 in respect to the rest of the carrier;

(4) The freedom of the child from constraint while being carried in this carrier, as distinguished from the obvious constraint imposed in such prior constructions as in Mills Patent No. 2,599,474, and Orlolf Patent No. 1,307,597, in both of which the pressure on the back of the person being carried is more or less in a direct ratio to the weight of said person and this crowding of the one body against the other is certain to make for mutual discomfort in time besides being quite apt to be distinctly harmful in the case of a small child, where it could result in back deformation if the child is carried this way long enough, and

(5) The weight of the child is carried high enough on the back and shoulder portions of the bearer to give the bearer plenty of freedom, as when climbing or descending hills, and since the child is sitting high enough the legs can be extended forward and grasped in the elbows of the bearer to assume some of the weight, as should be clear from a study of FIG. 2, as when carrying a child piggy-back.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims have been drawn to cover all legitimated modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A backpack carrier for carrying a child piggy-back fashion comprising, in combination, a unitary flexible body of elongated generally rectangular form defining front and rear end portions at opposite ends, the body being appreciably narrow in at least some of the lower front end portion so as to be adapted to extend through the crotch of the child to be carried, the front end portion extending substantially vertically on the back of the person carrying the child and the rear end portion extending substantially vertically behind the child to a smaller height than the front portion approximately to the childs waistline to form a seat for the child, suspension means extending upwardly and forwardly from the upper corners of the rear end portion and connected with the upper corners of the front end portion to support the child sitting in the carrier but leaving the body of the child free, a pair of shoulder encircling loops connected to opposite sides of the front end portion for application to the shoulders of the person carrying the "3 7 3 child so as to support the carrier high enough on the back of the person to permit the person assuming part of the childs wei ht by holding the childs legs in the crooks of the persons arms, as when carrying a child piggy-back without a carrier, and a flexible adjustable length back rest strap extending rearwardly from the upper portion of the front in vertically spaced relation to the rear end portion around the back of the child under the arm pits, the adjustment in length of said strap enabling giving the body of the child as much or as little freedom as desired, and, in the case of a smaller child,

holding the child as close to the persons back as desired.

2. A piggy-back type carrier as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pair of shoulder-encircling loops are provided as portions of a single long strap having one end fastened to one corner of the front end portion of the body and defining a loop before extending through a tunnel extending transversely of the front end portion and then defining another loop adjacent the other corner l of the front end portion where a buckle is provided for adjustable connection with the free end of said strap, whereby both loops are adjustable by means of the single buckle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,687 10/ 62 Great Britain.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner.

in-l 

1. A BACK-PACK CARRIER FOR CARRYING A CHILD PIGGY-BACK FASHION COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A UNITARY FLEXIBLE BODY OF ELONGATED GENERALLY RECTANGULAR FORM DEFINING FRONT AND REAR END PORTIONS AT OPPOSITE ENDS, THE BODY BEING APPRECIABLY NARROW IN AT LEAST SOME OF THE LOWER FRONT END PORTION SO AS TO BE ADAPTED TO EXTEND THROUGH THE CROTCH OF THE CHILD TO BE CARRIED, THE FRONT END PORTION EXTENDINGL SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY ON THE BACK OF THE PERSON CARRYING THE CHILD AND THE REAR END PORTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY BEHIND THE CHILD TO A SMALLER HEIGHT THAN THE FRONT PORTION APPROXIMATELY TO THE CHILD''S WAISTLINE TO FORM A SEAT FOR THE CHILD, SUSPENSION MEANS EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY FROM THE UPPER CORNERS OF THE REAR END PORTION AND CONNECTED WITH THE UPPER CORNERS OF THE FRONT END PORTION TO SUPPORT THE CHILD SITTING IN THE CARRIER BUT LEAVING THE BODY OF THE CHILD FREE, A PAIR OF SHOULDER ENCIRCLING LOOPS CONNECTED TO OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FRONT END PORTION FOR APPLICATION TO THE SHOULDERS OF THE PERSON CARRYING THE CHILD SO AS TO SUPPORT THE CARRIER HIGH ENOUGH ON THE BACK OF THE PERSON TO PERMIT THE PERSON ASSUMING PART OF THE CHILD''S WEIGHT BY HOLDING THE CHILD''S LEGS IN THE CROOKS OF THE PERSON''S ARMS, AS WHEN CARRYING A CHILD PIGGY-BACK WITHOUT A CARRIER, AND A FLEXIBLE ADJUSTABLE LENGTH BACK REST STRAP EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FRONT IN VERTICALLY SPACED RELATION TO THE REAR END PORTION AROUND THE BACK OF THE CHILD UNDER THE ARM PITS, THE ADJUSTMENT IN LENGTH OF SAID STRAP ENABLING GIVING THE BODY OF THE CHILD AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE FREEDOM AS DESIRED, AND, IN THE CASE OF A SMALLER CHILD, HOLDING THE CHILD AS CLOSE TO THE PERSON''S BACK AS DESIRED. 